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TSSA Warns Of Strike Action At ScotRail After Breakdown In Relations

10 July 2019

TSSA has written to ScotRail warning of a "near complete breakdown of industrial relations" as the union prepared to ballot members for strike action.

Members in the Driver Team Managers (DTM) grade will receive ballot papers this week. TSSA also expects to ballot members across almost every other grade where the union is recognised in the very near future.

The dispute arose after ScotRail made changes to DTM contracts, forcing them to cover shifts for train drivers, without negotiating with the TSSA which has sole recognition for them.

The changes have knock-on implications for other workers TSSA represent but ScotRail has ignored requests from the union to negotiate over those implications.
At the same time TSSA was excluded from negotiations about Rest Day Working Payments for staff in Station Grade, Travel Shop, Operational Supervisor, Clerical & Engineering grades.

TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, said, “ScotRail has systematically and deliberately excluded our union from talks. We believe this is a cynical and deliberate attempt to undermine our union and deny our members their right to representation and a voice in their workplace.

“Our members are rightly furious. They are ready and determined to vote for strike action and I will have no hesitation in sending out the ballot papers if ScotRail don’t come back to the negotiating table with us.

“ScotRail wouldn’t need to force Driver Train Managers to cover shifts if they had employed enough Drivers in the first place. As always Abellio are trying to do things on the cheap and it’s blowing up in their face.

“TSSA has long said that ScotRail needs to be run in the public sector. If Abellio think that they can shut us up by cutting us out of negotiations, then they have another think coming.